Blood of coal,tears of silver,& an escence of bane
by Ruastfru-of-MorningClan
Summary: As a kit, Silvertail falls hopelessly in love with young tom named Coalfire, then Coalkit. What happens when she falls into a coma? And will Coalfire always be her number one tom, even after he passes on?
1. Prolouge

**N/A: MorningClan, the Clan in this story is actually my guild. So the characters in this story come from them, so I'd like to thank all the guild members, especially Duffer for Coalfire, Nyra for Banehollow and Tripfeld for… well, MorningClan over all! Please R&R!**

"All hail Silverstar!" I mewled, bowling over Bengalkit. I pummeled his stomach with my back paws, claws sheathed however.

"Not so fast," he growled playfully, using his back paws to launch me off of him. A few mouse lengths away, Coalkit and Tearkit wrestled together.

I turned around and saw Ripplekit bowl over Bengalkit, and was too late to see Coalkit charge at me and topple me over to the ground. We tussled a bit on the ground, Coalkit pinning me down a couple times, but kept our claws sheathed. Finally I pinned down Coalkit, and I opened my mouth to yowl my triumph. But before I could utter any words, my sapphire eyes met his deep forest green ones, and I became immobilized. We stayed like that for a long moment- a moment that seemed to last forever.

"Silverkit! Bengalkit!" My mother's voice brought me back to my senses. I released Coalkit, slightly blushing and scrabbled a few paces back.

"I-I gotta' go," I mewed awkwardly, bounding towards my mother. Bengalkit followed, yowling his goodbyes over his shoulder.

"Okay." Coalkit mewed, shuffling his paws. "See you tomorrow,"

**Okay, this is just a prologue, I guess. I think I'm going to skip to apprentice ceremony next. There's nothing kits can really do but play fight. I'm going to list the descriptions of the main characters since this prologue is so short.**

**Silverkit- Silver Bengal she-cat with sapphire eyes.**

**Bengalkit- Brown Bengal tom with amber eyes.**

**Coalkit- Coal colored tom with deep forest green eyes.**

**Ripplekit- gray silver striped she-cat with sapphire eyes.**

**Tearkit: Large silver gray tom with one blue eyes and one green eye.**

**Banehollow: Shaggy brown tom with piercing gold eyes. Okay, this is a cat from another clan, and he'll appear later in the story.**


	2. StoneClan

**N/A: Okay, skipping to apprentice ceremony! Please, R&R!**

"Let all cat old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the fallen oak!" Rainstar's familiar words rang throughout the clearing, and feline figures began to slip out from the dens and gather beneath the oak tree. I kneaded the ground in excitement, sapphire eyes glowing. Beside me sat Bengalkit, Coalkit, Ripplekit and Tearkit. We were all groomed to perfection, pelts shimmering. Coalkit sat beside me on one side, his pelt slightly brushing mine. That tiny bit of friction made my heart leap. My heart was thudding so loud I was sure he could here it.

My thoughts were interrupted by Rainstar's yowl. "We gather here this moonhigh to name five new apprentices." Her gaze swept across the throng of cats. "Come forward," All five kits rose at once and padded in the direction of their leader. I couldn't help but let out a purr of excitement, whiskers twitching impatiently.

"From this day forward, until they have earned their warrior names, these apprentices shall be known as Bengalpaw, Silverpaw, Coalpaw, Ripplepaw and Tearpaw." She meowed, placing her tail atop each apprentice's head as she said their new name. I let out a loud purr of satisfaction.

"Swiftflight, you will be mentor to Bengalpaw. Bramblestreaks, you will be mentor to Silverpaw. Birchtail, you will be mentor to Coalpaw. Jaguarheart, you will be mentor to Ripplepaw. And Silentstep, you will be mentor to Tearpaw." she meowed, the chosen cats stepping forward. "You have all been taught well by your previous mentors. I expect you to pass on all you're skill and wisdom to these apprentices."

I enthusiastically scrabbled up to Bramblestreaks, touching noses with him. All the rest of the apprentices did the same and, after speaking, Rainstar dipped her head and sprang off the fallen tree. A chorus of voices shouting the apprentices' new names rose up from the crowd of cats. I ducked my head shyly, shuffling my paws.

"Congratulations!" a voice from behind me mewed. A bit startled, I whirled around. Coalpaw stood there, his eyes warm and inviting.

"Thanks," I purred in a small voice. "You too." His whiskers twitched in amusement at my startled reaction.

"I guess were finally out of the nursery," he grunted, ears twitching in disdain. "Well, I'm off to congratulate the others," Before her left, he briefly pressed his nose into my fur, flashing me a smile before bounding off. My heart fluttered inside my chest like a trapped bird, and I couldn't help but smiling to myself.

I woke up early that morning, when dawn was just breaking in. Stretching, I silently padded out of the apprentices' den, dew glimmering from my rippling silver coat. Shaking the droplets of, I swiveled my ears backwards when I heard a rustle in the bracken.

"Good morning, Silverpaw." meowed the familiar voice of Birchtail, my father. "You're up early."

"Yeah," I mewed in agreement. "I can't wait for my first day of training!" I realized this was true. My paws kneaded the ground excitedly and my eyes glimmered with the willingness to learn.

He purred. "So I see," After taking a moment to groom himself, he spoke again. "I'm going out on the dawn patrol with Bramblestreaks. I was just coming to wake you and Coalpaw. After the patrol, we're going to take a break to eat and then go out training." He paused. "You know your mother would be so proud of you." His last words were a whisper, and a sorrowful expression crossed his face. I also felt that familiar pang of sadness, like a thorn piercing my heart. Fernheart, my mother, had been the most caring and loving cat I had ever known. She was great with medicine, even though she wasn't a medicine cat and was always the clan peace maker. Unfortunately, she had died in a battle with a rouge band about three moons ago.

Giving him a weary nod, I disappeared into the apprentices den. "Coalpaw," I hissed, prodding him in the side with my paw. He shuffled around a bit, but after I nudged him again, his head poked up.

"What is it?" he meowed, yawning.

"We're going on the dawn patrol with our mentors and then training," I replied, not wanting catch his eyes and left gaping like an idiot again.

"Okay," he meowed, heaving himself to his paws. They padded out of the den side-by-side, making their way over to where Birchtail and Bramblestreaks were waiting. With a curt nod, Birchtail pelted out of the camp entrance with Bramblestreaks flanking him, leaving me and Coalpaw to streak after him. We skirted the TwilightClan borders, and then made our way to the StoneClan borders.

"Bramblestreaks!" Birchtail hissed. At once Bramblestreaks bounded over to him, spitting in rage.

"How dare they?" he spat. I trotted over to see what all the commotion was about. Since this was my first time this far into the forest, I didn't notice anything strange.

"What is it?" Coalpaw meowed, sniffing at the StoneClan borders and wrinkling his nose in disgust.

"StoneClan put their scent markers halfway into our territory, that's what," Birchtail growled, sheathing and unsheathing his claws into the earth.

Anger rose like bile in my throat. How dare they trespass on their territory? If StoneClan thought they could just help themselves to MorningClan's territory, then they were sadly mistaken.

After briefly checking the SnowClan borders, the dawn patrol came storming back into the camp. "Rainstar! We have something to report!" Bramblestreaks growled, tail lashing furiously.

Moments later, a small tortoiseshell she-cat came loping over. "What it?" she meowed urgently. I listened as Birchtail and Bramblestreaks explained what they had discovered and began to rant on about how they should ambush StoneClan.

"Silence!" Rainstar hissed to the two rambling toms. Both toms fell quiet at once, turning their gaze towards their leader. "You _do_ remember that the gathering is tonight?" The two exchanged a dumbfound glance. "Stupid toms," she murmured under her breath. "Anyway, it would be foolish to attack tonight, when we could potentially sort things out verbally tonight."

"I doubt we'll get out of this without a fight," Bramblestreaks snorted, but was silenced when Rainstar gave him a hard stare. I purred in amusement as the three continued bickering.

"C'mon, why don't we take that break now?" I mewed, nudging Coalpaw who nodded in agreement.

We padded over to the fresh-kill pile, side-by-side once again. "Bengalpaw! Tearpaw! Ripplepaw!" I yowled across the clearing where all three apprentices were busy play fighting.

All three came bounding over. "What?" meowed Bengalpaw, sounding rather annoyed.

"Calm down, you grumpy furball. I just wanted to know if you'd like to join us to eat." I giggled, tossing my glossy silver fur. Bengalpaw snorted, but joined us without further complaint. Bengalpaw and I shared a starling while Tearpaw, Coalpaw and Ripplepaw shared a plump pigeon.

"So what happened with the dawn patrol?" Tearpaw asked, glancing over to the group of quarreling cats.

"StoneClan put their scent markers way into our territory," I answered between bites. "But we're going to teach them tonight at the gathering,"

"Speaking of the gathering, you and Bengalpaw will be attending tonight's." Rainstar's voice sounded behind me. We were too busy talking among ourselves to notice that Rainstar had slipped away from the group and had approached them. I immediately felt excitement surge through me. My first gathering!

"Thanks, Rainstar!" Bengalpaw purred, swiping his tongue around his maw. Rainstar acknowledged their excitement with a dip of her head, and then loped of again, purring to herself. "This si going to be an interesting gathering," he murmured.

We all nodded our agreements. "We'll be sure to tell you guys everything that happens," I mewed quickly when I saw the crestfallen expressions of my companions. They seemed to brighten after that, and I heaved a sigh of relief.

After finishing off our prey, we shared tongues for a while, exchanging more opinions on what they should do to StoneClan. Before we knew it, the moon was creeping into the sky, and Rainstar's yowl rang across the clearing.

I trotted up the slope, my brother close behind. This was it. My first gathering- and what I guessed would be one of the most interesting first gatherings I could think of.


	3. The gathering & His eyes

**N/A: Okay, Chapter two! I know this has been taking forever! It's just it's a lot harder to update with school starting. R&R!**

Feline figures slipped down into the hollow the large heap of boulders piled in the middle of the clearing. Three shapes were outlined by starlight on top of the rocks, the moonlight giving they're pelts an eerie glow. I seated myself within the throng of cats, neatly wrapping my tail around my paws.

"It's about time, Rainstar," growled one of the cats as the small tortoiseshell cat leaped up onto the rock.

"I wouldn't be criticizing me if I were you, Icestar." she hissed. "You're not exactly on the top of my list as of right now." Her eyes flashed, then she turned her gaze away from him and towards the crowd of cats beneath her.

"I wonder if that's the StoneClan leader," Bengalpaw murmured in my ear, gesturing with his tail towards the silver tabby that was called Icestar.

"I dunno'," I mewed, shrugging. "It would make sense, though. The way that-" I was interrupted by a loud yowl. All the cats' voices died down simultaneously, their gazes resting expectantly on all four leaders.

"Why don't you go first, Dewstar?" Rainstar meowed calmly, obviously wanting to report her news last.

"All is well in TwilightClan," he meowed, voice ringing across the clearing. "One of our queens kitted yesterday, and we have two new warriors; Snowbird and Hawkflight." A snowy white cat and a brown tabby both held their heads high, the white cat shuffling her paws slightly in embarrassment.

Next Brightstar, the leader of SnowClan, announced they had a new apprentice and the death of one of their elders. "Otherwise my Clan is doing well," she announced stepping back.

Without waiting for the other leaders to agree, Icestar stepped forward. "StoneClan is thriving at the moment; We've had many new litters of kits and with leaf fall coming, I'm afraid I won't have enough prey to feed all of my clan. I may have to increase my territory."

Before Icestar could say anymore, Rainstar stepped forward. "Yes, and I have something to say about you're territory increase," she growled. "My dawn patrol found that StoneClan has put they're scent markers well into our territory. What is the meaning of this?" Rainstar glared at him with piercing emerald eyes, her tail lashing.

Holding Rainstar's gaze, Icestar meowed coolly, "I thought I'd put the scent markers on the day of the gathering, and then discuss it at the gathering."

The fur along Rainstar's neck began to rise. "You're not getting any of MorningClan's territory." she hissed. Yowls of agreement rose from the clearing below.

"Fine. Then I'll have to take it by force." Icestar was bristling now, twin flames of hostility burning in his eyes.

"MorningClan will fight to keep every last mouse-length of their territory." Rainstar yowled, drawing her lip back in a snarl.

"And don't you think about putting one paw into TwilightClan territory," Dewstar hissed.

"The same goes for SnowClan territory," Brightstar meowed calmly, eyes glinting in the starlight. Yowls of outrage burst out from all clans. I a yowled protest "This is mouse brained," I snarled.

"Then if by force is the only way I can get territory, then so be it!" Icestar yowled, baring his teeth. As if to dismiss the gathering, Icestar pounced off the mound of rocks and gathered up his clan. The other leaders did the same, and in moments, the hollow was empty.

I streaked after Rainstar and the rest of the clan, Bengalpaw soon appearing by my side. "Some gathering, huh?" he mused.

I grunted in agreement, ears twitching in disdain. When the camp was in sight, we slowed down to a steady lope, soon arriving at the camp entrance. Squeezing through the gorse tunnel, I hurried over to the apprentices den, eager to tell about the gathering.

But when I entered the den, I saw that everyone was fast asleep. I heaved a sigh and settled down into my nest in between Coalpaw and Bengalpaw's nest, who was also settling himself down.

"We'll have to tell them about the gathering first thing tomorrow," Bengalpaw whispered, setting his head on his paws.

"Yeah," I agreed. "Well, G'night," Curling my tail over my nose, I slowly drifted into a restless sleep.

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"C'mon, Silverpaw!" Coalpaw called over his shoulder to me. "Bengalpaw, Ripplepaw and Tearpaw are waiting!"

"Coming!" I replied, rising to my paws and loping over to him. The sun had set ten times since the gathering, and I almost forgot about the hostile words of the StoneClan leader.

When they finally arrived to where the other three apprentices were, they all immediately rose to their paws, waving their tails in greeting.

"It's about time," Tearpaw grunted, though a glimmer of amusement shone in his mismatched eyes.

"Okay, so we're racing to the stream and back. Everyone got it?" Ripplepaw meowed. I nodded simultaneously with my comrades.

"What do we get if we win?" Bengalpaw asked, tilting his head to the side.

I smirked. "The pleasure of gloating," I mused, sapphire eyes alight with mischief.

"Okay, Now let's get this race going," Coalpaw meowed, obviously eager. "Ready, set, GO!" I shot off like a bullet, long legs streaking across the ground. I was racing by my brother for a moment, then passed him along with Tearpaw. I was now a little ahead of Coalpaw, yet still behind Ripplepaw. It was almost impossible to keep up with the slender, speed built she-cat.

I felt the gritty dirt ground underpaw begin to fade into soft grass, and knew we were nearing the stream. Sure enough, a few tail lengths ahead I could see the stream, faintly hearing its soft murmuring over the thundering of my paws. Ripplepaw had already made it to the stream and was making a sharp angled turn now.

I was close behind, paws scrabbling on the slippery grass that lined the shore. I was panting heavily now, my heart racing. Bengalpaw raced up beside me, keeping in front of me for a while.

I watched with a puzzled expression as Bengalpaw veered into the ferns, leaving them quivering behind him.

"What in the name of StarClan is he doing?" I murmured, taking the same path as he did. After slipping through a few rows of ferns, the shrubs gave way to a narrow path, lined with cherry blossoms on either side. Roses of all colors lined the trees and their vines wrapped around the trunks, and it seemed as if the path had never been used before; perhaps it was a secret passage way Bengalpaw had found. It was really a breath taking sight.

Suddenly the path came to an end and before I knew it, I was heading through more ferns. I burst out of the ferns and glanced over my shoulder to see Coalpaw slip out behind me. Ripplepaw was still ahead of everyone, and Tearpaw was now racing beside Bengalpaw. I soon passed both of the toms, panting hard.

I could see the camp entrance now; and Ripplepaw bursting through it. Soon enough I heard a triumphant yowl accompany it. I burst in after her, taking second place.

"Good race," I panted. "It seems you've inherited you're father's speed." Ripplepaw gave a purred of delight, her sides still heaving. Soon Coalpaw came bursting through the entrance, and moments later, Tearpaw raced in with Bengalpaw hard on his paws.

After everyone caught their breath, Tearpaw mewed, "Great race everyone. But it looks like the winner is Ripplepaw!" We all congratulated her, especially Tearpaw and Bengalpaw. _Toms, _I thought, snorting.

Looking up to the sky, I saw the sun was beginning to sink into the horizon, casting long shadows over the forest. The soft colors of the setting sun mixed together, making a dazzling array of colors. Soon enough, the sky became dark and the many stars of Silverpelt began to fill the sky.

After sharing fresh-kill, my companions and I retreated to the apprentices' den, yawning widely.

"'Night everyone," I meowed, curling up in my soft nest of moss and heather.

After a few moments, the only sound in the den was the steady breathing of sleeping cats and the chorus of chirping crickets. I closed my eyes and waited for sleep to overcome me, but it didn't come. Instead, I rose to my paws and silently crept out of the den and slipped out the camp entrance.

I padded silently through the forest, its many fragrances drawing me onward. _Where was that path Bengalpaw took?_ I thought, looking up to the stars. A rustle in the bushes behind me interrupted my thoughts.

"Hey," a voice mewed, and then I saw Coalpaw slip out of the ferns and pad over to me. "What'cha doin'?

"Nothing, really," I meowed in response, shrugging. "I just couldn't fall asleep. I was actually trying to find that path Bengalpaw took earlier today, too."

"In that case, I can help you out," he murmured, padding off and leaving me to trail after him.

We soon came to a clump of ferns where Coalpaw slipped in, leaving the ferns quivering behind him. I followed him into it and recognized the roses and cherry blossoms. Now the silky moonlight cast an array of light that dappled the pathway, the branches of the trees making a mosaic pattern.

"It's gorgeous here," I murmured, scanning every mouse length of the secret path with my deep sapphire eyes.

"C'mon, let's walk down it. We'll be able to see it better since we're not running this time." Coalpaw suggested, beckoning with his tail.

With a curt nod, I trotted over him and we padded, side-by-side, through the narrow path. Our pelt brushed slightly, and I blushed under my silver Bengal coat, my heart leaping.

"I wonder where this path leads to," I said, trying to break the awkward silence. My question was soon answered when we came out by the bank of the Stream, slipping through reeds and ferns.

When my eyes met the stream in the sparkling moonlight, I couldn't help but let out a gasp. "It's so beautiful," I whispered. Moonlight was dancing off the top of the water, illuminating it as it trickled over rock and gently sloped over the small water fall. The reflection of the water rippled off my silvery coat, giving it and eerie glow. I looked over to Coalpaw, who happened to glance over to me at the same time, and our eyes met.

Deep sapphire and forest green met once again, immobilizing both of us. Every time our eyes met, I felt as if my heart stopped.

As I sat at the bank of the stream, even though beauty was surrounding me on all sides, all I could see was Coalpaw. All I could see was his deep green eyes, handsome frame and the way it seemed to be the same for him.

**N/A: Hope you liked it!**


	4. The battle

**N/A: Okay, this time it's from Coalpaw's PoV! R&R! (Just so you know, I added a little fluff to this chapter. YAY FLUFFIENESS!!!)**

I sat, immobilized at the bank of the stream, my gaze locked with Silverpaw's. Moonlight danced off her rippling silver Bengal coat, its sheen slightly dazing me. Emotion swelled in my heart and, as I focused more intently on Silverpaw's eyes. I could see a passion glittering there like no other I'd ever seen, one that I didn't quite understand. But it didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was the moment that I was clinging onto, wishing it could last forever.

"C-coalpaw?" Silverpaw mewed at last, awakening me from my thoughts.

"Huh? Oh!" I mewed dumbly, shaking my head. "What is it?" I meowed, blinking at her with deep forest green eyes.

"We should probably be getting back to camp," she mewed, her sapphire eyes still glittering. "It's almost dawn."

"Right," I replied, rising to my paws. "Let's go then." I waited as Silverpaw slowly rose to her paws. We then walked side-by-side, like so many times before, towards the ferns that led to the secret passage way. Our pelts were slightly brushing each other, making my heart jolt all the same. _What's with me? _I thought, looking over to the silver she-cat that could make me paralyzed with just one gaze of her endless sapphire eyes.

We padded on through the arching cherry blossoms, the tiny pink petals from the trees lining the pathway. Finally we reached the end of the path and made our way out of the fern tunnel. Even though we were out of the narrow path, we padded so our pelts touched, the friction still making my heart leap.

"We better try and get some sleep now," Silverpaw breathed when they arrived at the apprentices den.

"Well, goodnight," I meowed, shuffling my paws. I looked into her sapphire eyes one more time, and, while she searched mine, she unexpectedly craned her neck upwards and touched her nose to mine. (Kind of like a kiss, I guess.) I blushed from ears to tail tip, pressing my nose in awkwardly.

Finally she released sapphire eyes wide as if she didn't mean to actually put her thoughts into action. "G'night," she meowed quickly, dipping into the den, her tail disappearing behind her.

"G-good night," I whispered, sitting motionless in the same spot. _What just happened?_ I asked myself, blinking slowly. The only thing I could come up with was an image of Silverpaw, her sapphire eyes warm, gentle and welcoming.

After pondering a bit more, I slipped into the apprentice's den. Silverpaw lay in her nest, flank steadily rising and falling; she was asleep. Settling into my own nest, I drifted into a steady sleep, Silverpaw racing through my dreams.

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"Coalpaw!" a paw prodded me in the side. "Coalpaw, wake up!"

I blinked my eyes open to see Tearpaw standing over me, repetitively jabbing in the side with a paw.

"Okay, okay! I'm up already!" I hissed, rising to my paws and shaking scraps off my pelt.

"Birchtail and Silentstep are waiting," he informed me, throwing the words over his shoulder as he bounded out of the den.

Nodding, I padded out of the den and towards the fresh-kill pile. There I saw Silverpaw and Ripplepaw sharing a pigeon and veered off in a different direction, not yet ready to face Silverpaw.

He bounded over to the camp entrance instead, where Birchtail, Silentstep and Tearpaw waited.

"That took you long enough," Birchtail growled, hauling himself up to his paws. He bounded off, beckoning with his tail for us to follow.

Soon we arrived at the stream, and memories from the night before came flooding back to me. Immediately my heart began to beat faster and my eyes filled with emotion. _Why do I get this way every time I think of her? _I scolded myself, shaking my head.

"Okay, today we're going to show you how to catch voles and mice. " Silentstep meowed, looking over the two apprentices. "Tearpaw, come with me, and Coalpaw, go with Birchtail and see what you can find." With a curt nod, we all bounded off.

"What do you scent?" Birchtail meowed, seating himself and wrapping his tail around his paws.

"Fox, but its stale- it was here about two or three days ago- herbs of some sort and… and mouse." I replied, my nose to the air.

"Well done! Now can you see the mouse?" Birchtail was still seated, assessing my skills.

"It's over there in the bushes," I gestured with my tail to the small creature.

"Okay. I'll show you the crouch for catching both mice and voles." Coming out of his sitting position, Birchtail crouched down low, belly brushing the ground and silently placed each paw in front of the other. "Now you try and catch the mouse."

I nodded, copying his crouch and carefully stalking the mouse. I rocked on my haunches and pounced, catching the mouse in between my paws. It almost got away, but I hooked it by the tail and killed it with a quick bite.

"Good job," Birchtail praised, studying the mouse. We trained for a bit longer and by the end of the session, I had caught two mice and a vole. We then met up with Tearpaw and Silentstep, who had caught three voles and a mouse.

"Looks like you two have done well," Silentstep purred, picking up some of the prey. After all the prey was collected, we headed back to camp.

Suddenly Birchtail stopped dead in his tracks. "Do you smell that?" he whispered to Silentstep, setting down his prey.

"Smell what?" she said crossly, a puzzled expression on her face.

"Blood," he meowed grimly. "And StoneClan,"

We all left our prey there and pelted back to camp. Sure enough, when we reached camp, there was a strong reek of StoneClan and the harsh odor of blood. The yowling of cats rang through the clearing, and screeches of pain rose from the clearing once and a while. A StoneClan warrior came bursting out of the camp entrance, tail between his legs.

"Come on, let's go!" Birchtail yowled, bursting into the clearing.

Immediately I was locked in battle with a StoneClan she-cat, Tearpaw at my aide. She pounced at me, but I thrust forward with my front paws, bowling her over. Tearpaw then jumped up and pinned her down, and I gave her a warning bite on the neck. We let her go, and I watched as she streaked out the camp entrance.

Soon I was tackled by a large StoneClan warrior. Unfortunately, Tearpaw was already locked in battle and couldn't come to help me this time. The StoneClan warrior bared his gleaming white fangs, letting out a menacing laugh.

"Say hello to StarClan for me," he growled and went for my throat.

_StarClan help me! _I thought, forest green eyes wide and full of fear. But before the vicious fangs could sink any deeper into my throat, a silver blur shot out from the thick of the battle and toppled the warrior over, hissing and spitting.

"Silverpaw!" I gasped, scrabbling to my paws.I scrabbled over to where she was struggling to pin the warrior down and gave and sank my teeth into his throat. The StoneClan warrior tried to scrabble to his paws, but fell back to the ground with a gasp. He gave one last shudder then lay still. I looked over to Silverpaw, her sapphire eye round with fear. I exchanged her look of fear, and then bounded off back into battle.

The battle kept on raging, and I watched as numerous StoneClan cats fled through the entrance. My hopes were high, until I heard and eerie, blood curdling wail; a wail that sent chills down my spine.

I ran over and stopped dead in my tracks and my blood ran cold when I saw Silverpaw hunched over an unmoving brown Bengal figure; It was Birchtail.


	5. StoneClan's secret

**N/A: Members of MorningClan: I'm sorry if I don't get all the events done at the right time! I know Coalpaw, Silverpaw, Ripplepaw, Bengalpaw and Tearpaw were all warriors at the time of Birchtail's death, but this is how it turned out. Sorry. Also, it's back to Silverpaw's PoV.**

"Dad…." I choked, tears sliding down my cheeks and dripping onto Birchtail's Bengal coat. "Dad, no… Please don't leave me!" Despite the raging battle around me, I sat by my father's body, head lowered and let out another blood chilling wail.

"Dad!" I heard Bengalpaw gasp behind me. I looked over my shoulder and saw him standing there, wide eyed, amber eyes brimming with tears. "I will avenge your death!" he snarled at last, streaking into the battle again.

Then, I swiveled my ears forward towards the camp entrance; was that paw steps I heard? A trio of cats with the scent of StoneClan came bursting through the entrance, yowling fiercely.

_StarClan help us! _I thought. It was impossible that we would win this war!

Then I watched closer; The StoneClan cats were heading right for Icestar! One of the cats, a well built white she-cat, sprang and landed on the silver tabby tom's back, snarling viciously. Another one of the cats leaped to her aide, sinking his teeth into Icestar's tail.

I tried to continue watching, but was tackled by a dark brown tabby she-cat. Hissing and spitting, she pinned me belly to the ground and began to rake her claws down my back. Yowling in pain, I managed to roll over and quickly begin slicing my thorn sharp claws against her stomach. She gasped in pain and immediately releasing me and fleeing out of the camp entrance.

Wincing, I turned back to where my father lay, unmoving. "I'll be back," I murmured, pressing my nose into his flank before dragging his body into the brambles.

Then I turned my attention back to the battle; especially the three StoneClan cats. I stared wide eyed as I saw the white she-cat strike down and give her leader a killing blow to the neck. Icestar staggered a bit, and then fell to the ground, eyes rolling into the back of his head. He lay still for a moment, then his flanks heaved again and he scrabbled to his paws, eyes wild with fear.

_He must have lost a life,_ I thought, sapphire eyes widening at the thought. Concentrating on the battling cats again, I saw Icestar going as fast as he could after losing his life towards the camp entrance. But the three StoneClan cats kept up with him and once again ripped at his throat with lethal fangs.

_Why are they turning against their leader?_ I thought in alarm. A snarl ripped into my thoughts and I saw an agile looking tom barreling towards the unaware Rainstar. Baring my fangs, I leapt at the cat and sank my claws into his sides. He thrashed wildly, trying desperately to throw me off his back, but it ended up a hopeless attempt. I released him after giving him a warning nip on the ear, making sure he left the camp.

I sprang at another cat, a cat as black as a night with no moon or stars. I grinned in satisfaction as my claws met his flank, and dug them in deeper. I winced as I felt claws rake over my ear, hissing in pain and slashing my own translucent claws over the black tom's eye. Guessing my blow to the eye had ended our battle, I began to extract my claws from the tom's fur.

But I guessed wrong. The black tom charged at me again, bowling me over. We rolled on the ground, a flurry of teeth and claws. We skidded throughout the camp, claws firmly embedded in each others' flank. We finally crashed into the brambles where the StoneClan tom pinned me down.

For the first time I saw him clearly. He had sharp angular features and a large scar running down one side of his face. His eyes were a fierce blood red, the one where I had scratched it swollen and half closed. The ferocity of his eye color made me shudder. He sank his claws deeper into my shoulders, not allowing me to move an inch.

"So, you're the daughter of the mangy flea bag, you said?" he snarled, baring his lethal fangs that were tainted crimson with blood. "How lucky. Maybe I'll find the other runt of his precious litter and slaughter him, too. Just like I killed your father, and just how I, Bloodfang, will kill you," He grinned, blood red eyes glittering with a crazed desire to kill.

I immediately knew he was talking about Birchtail and Bengalpaw. Knowing this was the cat that murdered my father gave me a new strength. "So you're the heartless heap of fox dung that dared lay a claw on my father," I hissed in a menacing tone, my sapphire eyes narrowing into slits. Using my back paws, I launched the black tom that called himself Bloodfang off of me, sending him halfway across the clearing. But I wasn't done with him yet. I scrabbled after him, pinning him down and giving him a sharp bite to the back of his neck.

"Okay, okay!" he hissed, thrashing around wildly. "I get it! Now lemme' go!"

I don't know what my motive was, if it was a soft spot in me, or if I felt it was justice to the warrior code; StarClan knows. But I let him go. Immediately Bloodfang scrambled to him paws, whirling around to face me.

"Fool," he spat, blood red eyes narrowed. "You really think I'll give up that easily? You may have won this time, but I'll be back; I can promise you that." With one last snarl, he turned tail and bounded out the camp entrance, his threatening words echoing in my head.

I could only stare after him helplessly, my mind whirling. His threat lingered in my mind, and the spots where his razor sharp claws ripped into me stung fiercely. My thoughts were only broken by a wail of sheer pain, and I spun around to see the three StoneClan cats ripping another life out of Icestar.

After a series of spasms and odd jerking movements, Icestar's body convulsed a last time, then lay still. I braced myself for him to retaliate again, and spring to his paws, but this time he lay still, flanks unmoving, his once piercing ice blue eyes dull and lifeless. Icestar was finally dead.

Gradually, the battle began to die down, and as the StoneClan cats saw the body of their leader wasn't reviving, they pelted out of the camp, tail between legs. Soon, the camp was evacuated of all StoneClan cats except for three; the white she-cat, a shaggy brown tom with piercing gold eyes, and the other, a silver tabby she-cat closely resembling Icestar. Her eyes held a look of both sorrow and a slight bit of relief. I guessed she was of relation to him.

Rainstar approached them, her eyes widening when she saw Icestar's severed body, and then collected her thoughts again. "Who are you?" she meowed coolly, leafy gaze traveling across the three cats.

"My name is Whitewind," the white she-cat replied, dipping her head respectfully. "And this is Banepaw (Okay, MorningClan people, bear with me. I know he was already a warrior, but to make things right later, I had to do this. My events are a little out of order!) and Petalheart." She pointed with her tail to the shaggy brown tom, then to the silver tabby. Both cats repeated her gesture of respect and dipped their head. "Petalheart was Icestar's daughter, as some of you may have guessed." I was barely aware of the rest of the clan warily crowding around the three StoneClan cats.

I noticed Banepaw's gaze wander somewhere and his gold eyes widened. "Thornfang!" he gasped. I looked over and my throat tightened when I saw the body of the cat that had almost slaughtered Coalpaw. I had killed the tabby to protect him.

Immediately Whitewind's gaze snapped over to the unmoving tabby heap of fur. "Well, that's actually a relief." she murmured. When Rainstar's eyes widened, Whitewind took a deep breath and braced herself to explain what was going on.

"Cats of MorningClan, please listen to what I have to say," she began. "Most of you must be wondering why we turned on Icestar. But it was Icestar, who turned on us. About a moon ago, I overheard Icestar and his ambitious deputy, Thornfang talking," she paused to gesture towards the dead body of the former StoneClan deputy. "I heard Icestar was plotting to drive all the other clans out of the forest, and have StoneClan be the strongest clan. He was insisting that it was for the best of StoneClan as well as the other clans,"

"Yes, and I suppose it'd be the best for all of the clans if a horde of foxes came and raided all the camp nurseries," Redfur, the MorningClan deputy, spat, but was silenced by Rainstar.

Acknowledging Redfur with a curt nod, Whitewind went on. "But I know better than him. I know that there have always been four clans in the forest and there always will be. So I knew I had to put an end to his devious plan. And this was the only way. The only way I could think of, however. As far as I know, Thornfang and Icestar were the only ones involved in this crude plan, but I'm not completely sure." Her gaze swept around the clearing. "I will most likely be taking the place of leader; the only reason I wasn't chosen to be deputy instead of Thornfang was probably because Icestar saw that I would have disagreed to his plots and schemes. And he was right." She sighed and went on. "Long story short, Icestar was a murderous cat that would have killed every cat in all three other clans just to get his paws on one more mouse length of territory. He deserved to die, and now is hunting in unknown territories, apart from StarClan." She dipped her head and stepped back.

Someone might have said more, but my mind was spinning, and tears began to form in my eyes again when I remembered Birchtail. After the trio of StoneClan cats left with the bodies of Thornfang and Icestar, I dragged Birchtail's body out of the brambles and into the center of the clearing.

"He was a good warrior," Rainstar mewed, eyes sorrowful, and her tail dragging in the dust. Even though they had won the battle, she looked utterly defeated. After pushing her nose into Birchtail's fur, she padded off, paws dragging.

I still remained there, my eyes wide with sorrow. It was then that a felt a soft pelt press against mine, and a familiar scent wreath around me. I didn't even shift my gaze to look at the cat who I knew by his soft touch and gentle scent was Coalpaw.

"It'll be okay," he meowed, brushing his muzzle against my shoulder. My sapphire eyes were now brimming with tears, and I began to sniffle. I pressed my face into Coalpaw's side, and tears began to flow down my cheeks and my body racked in sobs.

I felt him wrap a paw around me in a sort of embrace, and I heard his voice, smooth and reassuring, murmuring comforting words in my ear. I was now trembling, and every few second my body convulsed in another sob.

"First mother," I meowed in a low, bitter voice. "and now father. StarClan, what have I done to deserve this?" I looked up to the stars the gleamed above, their usually comforting shine feeling cold. I shut my eyes tight and let out one of my blood chilling wails.

"C'mon," I heard Coalpaw mew softly. "Let's sit vigil for him."

Nodding, I approached Birchtail's body and crouched down next to it. I immediately felt Coalpaw's presence next to me, his pelt pressed close against mine, eased my trembling body. My usual strong free will was drained out of me; I felt frail and helpless.

"Hi," a voice rasped, and I glanced over to see Bengalpaw, who looked as drained of energy as I did, his amber eyes hollow and his rippling Bengal coat dull. He sat on the other side of Birchtail and lowered his head, letting a tear drip down onto his pelt. My eyes widened a little. I had never seen Bengalpaw cry before.

I glanced down to my father's body, and then up to the sky. _Where are you in the stars, father?_ I thought to myself, looking at the endless expanse of stars glittering in the sky.


	6. Exhilaration

**A/N: Sorry it took SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO long to update! Especially for such a short chappie….. And yes, I changed the name. I didn't like the old one anymore.**

"Silverpaw, get ready for training!" Bramblestreaks yowled to me from across the clearing.

"Okay," I meowed warily, rising to my paws. It had been a moon since my father had died, but I was just as upset as before. The only kin I had left now was my brother.

"Hey," I heard Coalpaw's soft, comforting mew behind me. "Want to ask if we can train together? I know it's already okay with Gypsyfur."

"Okay," I meowed, brightening a little. Then I remembered how Birchtail used to be Coalpaw's mentor, and was now replaced by Gypsyfur, and felt the familiar pang of sadness.

"It's okay with me, too," Bramblestreaks meowed, having overheard their conversation. "Well if we're going, you guys better hurry up," After making sure we acknowledged him, he stalked off to alert Gypsyfur of the new plans.

"C'mon. Let's go get some fresh-kill; then we'll meet up with Bramblestreaks and Gypsyfur at the training hollow." Coalpaw meowed, padding off and beckoning with his tail for me to follow. Heaving myself to my paws, I followed. I couldn't help but notice how much Coalpaw had grown in the past moon- He had grown longer, leaner, and was much more muscular. His soft kitten-like features were now more sharp and angular, but his eyes still held the same immobilizing warmth. I sighed dreamily. _What's wrong with me? _I meowed, shaking my head.

After sharing a squirrel, Coalpaw and I padded side by side out of camp, our pelts brushing lightly once again, still enough to make my heart skip a beat. "Hey, Silverpaw?" Coalpaw meowed in a rather small voice.

"Yeah?" I blinked my deep sapphire eyes at him softly, searching his deep forest green ones. I twitched my whiskers in confusion when he stopped in his tracks, kneading the ground with his paws.

"D-do you wanna' go hunting later on? Ya' know, just- just the two of us?" I let out a _mrrow_ of amusment when I saw his ears turning pink and his gaze shy away from mine.

I cuffed him over the ear. "Of course I would, you stupid fur ball!" I giggled, my sapphire eyes glittering.

Coalpaw grinned, letting out a purr of satisfaction. "Good," he meowed, now meeting my eyes. "Then what do you say we meet up at the stream, around sundown?"

"Sounds good to me," I meowed merely, shrugging.

"Then it's a da- an appointment," he meowed. I furrowed my brow at him, eyes flashing with interest. Had he almost said 'date'? "Well we better hurry up before our mentors claw our ears off," he meowed quickly, trying to cover up his embarrassment, I guessed.

"Okay," I giggled, flicking my tail over his ear. I couldn't help but be amused.

When we arrived at the training hollow, I saw Bramblestreaks and Gypsyfur waiting, their tail tips twitching in annoyance.

"Sorry for keeping you guys waiting," I apologized, Coalpaw nodding in agreement.

"Well, next time try and be a bit more responsible; you guys are almost warriors!" Bramblestreaks snorted, whiskers twitching in disdain. Me and Coalpaw exchanged an amused glance and then padded so we were beside our mentors.

"Okay, today we will be doing some battle training…."

----------------------------------------------------

I carefully slipped out of camp, and headed towards the stream. Something about the thought of meeting up with Coalpaw made my heart feel light, and made exhilaration build up inside me. The sun was beginning to sink beneath the horizon, casting long shadows over the forest. Soon enough, a single star appeared in the sky, shimmering brightly.

"Coalpaw?" I meowed, slipping out of the secret passage way that Coalpaw and I now used commonly as a shortcut to the stream. Sure a enough, I saw his muscular frame, outlined by moonlight, sitting, staring across the stream.

"Silverpaw," he meowed in delight, turning around, and briefly pressing his nose into my shoulder. My ears turned pink, but I returned his gesture of kindness. I looked up into his forest green eyes and saw something shimmering there; something I just couldn't understand, but I knew it showed in my eyes also.

"Shall we be off?" I meowed, a slight giggle escaping from me as I said the sentence.

"We shall," he purred in reply, holding out his tail and dipping his head formally. Giggling, I took his tail in mine and we padded off, tail in tail, through the forest.

"Where shall we look first, Sire?" I asked in a mocking polite tone.

"Well, Milady, I think we should go over to the sunset ridge. Would you fancy that?" Coalpaw meowed, flicking his tail over my ear.

Not able to stifle a laugh, I meowed in reply, "Why, Sire, I think that idea would be most lovely." We both laughed and then made our way to the sunset ridge, which wasn't too far from the stream.

"Now I'm afraid we'll have to part, Milady, if we fancy catching any prey." He meowed, a grin still spread across his handsome features.

"Yes, Sire. Farewell, for now," I meowed, dipping my head dramatically and then loping off. As I scented the air for prey, a smile was still spread across my face and I couldn't help but giggle once in a while.

When I returned to where Coalpaw and I agreed to meet up, right next to the sunset ridge, I had caught a mocha colored rabbit, a water vole and two mice, while Coalpaw had caught a couple squirrels, a starling and a vole.

"Looks like we'll be dining well tonight, Sire," I purred, setting down my catch beside his.

"Yes, we will, Milady," a wry grin spread across his face as he softly flicked his tail over my ear. "And you can have first pick."

I leaned over to collect my prey, but then snapped my head back up. "Fancy dining by the light of the moon, Sire?" I meowed, quirking my whiskers forward.

He grinned. "That would be most lovely, Milady. What about next to the stream, where the moon shimmers the brightest?" I nodded and snatched up all the prey I could carry, Coalpaw gathering the remainder.

"I think tonight I'd fancy a starling," I meowed, picking out the black feathered bird once we reached the bank of the stream.

"Well, I think I'd like to try this lovely rabbit that you caught, Milady. It looks most delectable." He gave me a wink and bit into the rabbit, drawing his tongue over his lips. "Just as scrumptious as it looks," he commented, tearing into the rest of it.

I daintily took a small bite of the starling, chewing thoughtfully on the bit. I glanced over to Coalpaw, and saw he was staring up to the moon, the dazzling moonlight reflecting off his coal colored fur, making him outlined in silver. I once again was mesmerized by his well-built frame, and handsome features. His forest green gaze locked with mine, and I felt myself blushing underneath my silver fur.

Hesitantly, I ripped my gaze away, taking another bite of my prey. Eyes fixed on my paws, I tore into another part of the bird. Suddenly, I could feel a soft presence beside me and feel a soft pelt brushing mine. I looked up and into Coalpaw's deep green eyes, the glitter that I had seen before back.

"Silverpaw?" he meowed in his rich, velvet like tone. He blinked softly at me.

"Y-yes?" I meowed, my heart racing as I felt him press closer.

"I just… I just want to ask you a question." He seemed to be stalling, though I couldn't understand why. I held my breath, for now we were practically nose to nose.

"When we're together… training, hunting, play fighting…. What ever. Do you ever feel… I don't know… feel an odd rush of exhilaration? Or… or…" he broke off, ears turning pink. "Never mind," he meowed, backing off. "I- I just got a little emotional, I guess." Blushing, he turned and took another bite out of his rabbit.

I blinked at him with my deep sapphire eyes, a perplexed look flashing through my eyes. "Coalpaw…?" I meowed softly, voice soft and timid.

"Really," he meowed, keeping his gaze fixed across the ribbon of black churning water that stretched across the land in front off them. "It's nothing."

Sighing, I meowed. "Okay. Then we better start getting back to camp." With an odd feel of disappointment, I buried the bones of my starling and then gathered my catch, Coalpaw trailing behind me.

We pushed our way through the ferns that led to our secret passage way, and I once again felt my heart jolt as our pelts brushed. Oh, how I longed to identify the feeling, and spill out to Coalpaw the odd passion I felt.

But I couldn't. My heart wouldn't let me.


End file.
